The Runaway Settlers

The year is 1859. Stephen and Mary Elizabeth Small live on a cattle farm in Australia with their children, Mary Ann, Bill, Jack, Archie, Jim and Emma. Stephen is an alcoholic and often beats his wife and children in drunken rages. In one particularly vicious attack, he strikes Mary to the floor with a chair, then beats Jack and hurls Jim against a wall, causing concussion. The next day Stephen leaves on a week-long trip to take their young cattle to the sale yards and Mary puts into place her plans to escape and take her children to safety. The family pack their belongings into a hand-cart and make it to Berrima on foot, from where they catch a coach into Sydney. There Mary gets help from an old school friend and the family change their show more name to Phipps so Stephen won’t find them. A frantic search for a ship follows, and finally they find passages on the ‘Armenian’, but Mary Ann will have to stay behind and follow later, and the boys will have to work at flax-cutting to pay off their passage. The Phipps family arrive at Lyttelton Harbour, in the Canterbury region of New Zealand, without a penny to their name, but Mary is clever and soon gains a small rundown cob cottage on an overgrown piece of land in Governors Bay for the family to make their home. A huge amount of work turns the land into a garden and soon they are selling excess produce in Lyttelton. Gold is found on the West Coast and when some of Mary’s cattle are stolen, she decides to drive bullocks through the difficult countryside to sell at a profit to the gold prospectors. The book is based on the experiences of a real family (descendants of the Smalls still live in Governors Bay), and has been in print since 1965. There is a strong storyline, a real story of pioneering life in New Zealand and the harsh realities of being a battered wife during those times. Mary is a hero, her hard work, courage and cheerfulness pull the family through some difficult spots. A well told story and a New Zealand classic. show less

Great story about life for early settlers in New Zealand. Rare for solo mothers to succeed on their own in those days, but this lady was entrepreneurial, resourceful and courageous.

This is a historical fiction set first in Australia and then New Zealand in 1859. Mary Elizabeth Small escapes from her abusive drunkard husband and with her six children flees to New Zealand. As they board the ship to sail to NZ they make the decision to change their surname to Phipps so that they cannot be traced.
They arrive in the new Canterbury colony of Lyttleton without a penny to their name. The story then follows the hardships that this resilient, skilful mother endures along the way. At the end of the story they are content and secure in the knowledge that they have worked honestly and industriously to have what they have. Great for younger readers 10 -12 to capture a glimpse of this time.

This a children's story, based on the lives of real people. I read the book as I was keen to find references to life in and around Lyttelton in the later part of the 19th century. In fact the story is of a family which came to the area and settled at Governor's Bay. It recounts the trials and tribulations of pioneering in the beautiful Lyttelton Harbour area. They overcame many difficulties but did exceptional well given their circumstances. A good read for children interested in early New Zealand history, and for adults with the same interest.

Printed in Australia Orig. published by Jonathan Cape. Based on a true story.